Movie Review: Nate and Margaret

In it’s simplest form, Nate & Margaret is a film about friendship. A young college student Nate is best friends with Margaret, an old spinster who dreams of becoming a comedian. Within the first few minutes, the viewer really gets the summation of these two oddly-paired friends, which feels very natural and similar to “normal” friendships.

However, their friendship falls apart when Nate gets involved in a relationship for the first time. As he slowly starts to change – largely thanks to his new boyfriend James who is unable to understand Nate’s friendship with Margaret – he becomes less reliable and supportive of Margaret and her with her stand-up routine. Naturally, the two drift apart as Margaret continues on with her dream of doing successful comedy.

Through Margaret’s stand-up and interactions with Nate, Nate & Margaret finds that perfect balance of awkward pauses and stilted conversation to really get the viewer feeling and experiencing the situation along with Nate and Margaret. I love a movie that can make me cringe – in a good way – without it feeling forced, and this film has achieved that.

It’s such a great film because it is so relatable – regardless of who is in your circle of friends. It also highlights the bonds of friendship – and makes a point of saying that it doesn’t matter who your friends are or what you have in common with them – we all have similar experiences. Most friendships survive the ups-and-downs, though not all. Definitely check this one out – and find out for yourself whether Nate and Margaret’s friendship can make it through the changes in both their lives.

You can also check out our interview with Nate and Margaret’s writer and director Nathan Adloff here: